Opening Convocation, Sept. 1, 2023

Remarks by President Andrea Talentino

Welcome students, families, staff, faculty, and guests. 

This summer I read a book about one of my favorite persons in history, Ann Boleyn. Ann was the second wife of King Henry VIII of England, and was infamously beheaded just three years after Henry married her. He was disillusioned because she had not produced a son, and seems to have believed that she tricked him into marriage. While there is no historical evidence for that, it is certainly true that Ann did not make a good queen. 

Queens were supposed to do three things: provide an heir, be meek and submissive, and maintain the glamor and glory of the court. Ann failed at all three. She produced only one child, a girl. She was not submissive or meek. To the contrary, she had a sharp intellect and was very interested in the major political questions of her time, notably religious reform and political alliance. She also made clear that she did not appreciate Henry’s extramarital affairs. And though she did love to party, she could be haughty and cold, arrogant and dismissive, which alienated courtiers and commoners alike.

Perhaps Ann’s biggest failure, however, was to hold political views at odds with Henry’s chief advisor, Thomas Cromwell. Although she and Cromwell had previously been aligned, her commitment to religious reform and advocacy for alliance with France against the Holy Roman Empire were not positions Cromwell supported. He feared her persuasive arguments and ability to influence the king in establishing policy, which he felt reduced his own influence at court. Working in concert with Henry’s growing annoyance with Ann’s failures, he prepared an accusation of treason against her, charging her with adultery and planning the death of the king. In the space of a little over two weeks in the spring of 1536, Ann was arrested, tried, found guilty, and beheaded. 

All of this happened in accordance with the law as it then existed, a fact Ann acknowledged on the scaffold. Indeed, every facet of her accusation, trial, and imprisonment was conducted in scrupulous adherence to law. That meant that she could not hear the charges against her before she arrived at trial. Neither could she question witnesses, summon any on her behalf, or consult with a lawyer or legal representative. The law of the time dictated that she be given no opportunity beyond her own arguments to influence her accusers. Observers noted that the prosecuting body had little evidence, contradictory claims, and no valid proof of guilt. Those who witnessed her eloquent defense were not only impressed but felt that she should be acquitted. Even one of her most ardent opponents, the ambassador from the Holy Roman Empire, acknowledged that there was no proof of guilt and agreed that, "she was more accused than convicted."¹

While we might dismiss the fate of Ann Boleyn as an example of the limitations of law in the 16th century, we should think more carefully. Law has been used in this country to forcibly remove people from their homes and land, allow people to be held as property, and deny people the right to love and raise a family. In his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King reminded us that "there are two types of laws: just and unjust."² Though we often think of law as a touchstone for good behavior, it is a reflection of human sympathies, hopes, and prejudices, and so exists not as a static state of right but a fluctuating state of point-in-time-belief. There is no question that law is essential for a stable and functioning society, but we must also recognize that it is an ever-evolving body of practice, and what we understand as right and legal today may not be what we accept tomorrow.    
  
This story is important because at Augustana we believe that the purpose of education is to make society better. Indeed, Augustana was founded for that purpose. Martin Luther, whose teachings are the basis of this institution, advocated for the extension of education to all precisely because of its collective benefit in advancing social welfare. Luther believed strongly in the importance of being a good neighbor, and he urged people to act when they saw things that needed change. He believed that being true to faith meant commitment to others and advancement of the whole: living not exclusively for or in ourselves, but for our neighbors. "God does not need your good works," he said, "but your neighbor does."

Being an agent of change meant that people needed to think about the world around them. That required education and access to information. Prior to Luther’s time, common citizens had not had access to the Bible and other important religious writings. His idea that the Bible should be available for people to read for themselves was a radical concept, and one that opened up a whole new world of personal thought and critical thinking. Indeed, this was one of the reforms Ann Boleyn most valued, and she was known to possess several controversial or banned books, including French and English translations of the Bible. Further, Luther believed in education for all, not just wealthy males, and specifically advocated for women to become literate so that they could read Scripture for themselves. 

The historical examples I have discussed remind us that the process of social progress is never complete. Ann Boleyn suffered because she lived in a society where rule of law could be defined by injustice, and where gender inequity was extreme. Law can channel the worst impulses of a society as well as its best. Where we go next, whether in this country or in others, will depend upon you bringing to bear the most important principles of your Augustana education, and working with others to solve the challenges of our time and define a path toward justice. As Luther envisioned, you will see things that should be different, and it will be up to you to stand up for change.  

So while you may think of your time at Augustana as a personal journey, and to some extent it is, the bedrock of an Augustana education is that it is an education with purpose, an education designed not only to bring you knowledge and fulfillment but also to equip you, inspire you, and even gently compel you to apply your skills and knowledge in ways that help others. 

You, the class of 2027, come from 30 different states, 35 countries, and every corner of Illinois. You speak 24 different first languages. You bring an incredible breadth of experience and perspective to this campus. What we ask of you today is that starting now, and over your next several years at Augustana, you find your own pathway, defined by your own passions. At times that path will be uncomfortable and difficult. There will be moments, no matter what major you choose, when you will despair that you can ever master the subject let alone determine for yourself what matters most. 

Rest assured, those moments of doubt have been shared by every Augustana student who came before you. For in those dark moments, you will find who you are. Through the challenge, you will discover yourself and the impact you want to have on the world, and you will mold yourself in the way most true to your center. You will have help on that path. You can rely upon us to equip you with a compass, not a map, so that you can find your path and follow it even when the way seems dim. The faculty and staff you encounter will walk you through the wilderness of self-discovery, pushing you to connect, discern, integrate and debate, until they are confident that you can manage on your own, though you will still stumble here and there.  

And throughout that journey I want you to remember, every rule and law and practice that society has, reflects us. They are not immutable or given truths. They are reflections of collectively held beliefs. And so our task, throughout time, is to employ our best and most careful thought to ensure that they reflect what we value most.  In short, to learn from the examples that went before us, to make society better, and to ensure that our practices meet our aspirations. 

Dr. King, in the same writing, reminded us that "Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and…when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress."² It is easy to take standard practice for granted, and assume that because it is what we always do, it is right. But as Augustana Vikings I know you will be more discerning, more thoughtful, even, as needed, skeptical. Just as Ann Boleyn’s peers began to wonder if perhaps, just perhaps, the legal system did not fairly reflect guilt, we need to continuously question whether our practices are a dam or a river to justice.  

To do that, in the spirit of community and guided by the inquiring mind, I urge you to pursue questions boldly and brightly, wherever they may lead. Ask questions, engage in debate, and think about how your areas of study connect to, support, complement and at times contradict one another. And be aware, always, that we are part of a community, and that WE determine what sort of community that is. I have spent a year now in this incredible place, and I can tell you that it is a special community indeed. Marked by commitment and connection to neighbors, love for our fellow humans and this place, it will mold and shape you as you mold and shape it. 

Welcome to Augustana. 

¹ Weir, Alison. The Lady in the Tower: the fall of Ann Boleyn. New York: Ballantine Books, 2010, p. 213
² King, M.L. Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963